Bangladesh, Oct. 9 -- HarperCollins UK has formally retracted and apologized for publishing a claim that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania Trump to her husband, US President Donald Trump. The publishing giant announced on October 8 that it had recalled copies of an unauthorized biography of Prince Andrew which repeated the unverified allegation-one that Melania Trumps legal team described as “malicious and defamatory.”

The decision marks yet another episode in the ongoing controversy linking Epsteins extensive network of wealthy and powerful acquaintances to public figures who have since distanced themselves from him. Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charge...